Chinese film takes home Special Award at Cannes

Chinese film director Bi Gan's latest art-house feature, Resurrection, claimed the Special Award at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, marking the first time in a decade that a Chinese-language film has been honored in the festival's main competition.

Receiving the award from Juliette Binoche, jury president and renowned French actress, Bi expressed his gratitude to the cast, creative team, the festival, the jury and those working tirelessly behind the scenes. Binoche hailed the film as an extraordinary work, calling it "full of imagination".

The film boasts a star-studded cast, featuring actress Shu Qi — whose 2015 martial arts drama The Assassin earned Hou Hsiao-hsien the best director award at the 68th Cannes Film Festival — as well as actors Yi Yangqianxi, whose English name is Jackson Yee, Mark Chao and Huang Jue.

Told in six chapters, the film is set in a post-apocalyptic future where humanity has lost the ability to dream. Straddling the line between reality and imagination, the story begins with Shu's character, a neurosurgeon, discovering the remains of an android — referred to as a "movie monster".The narrative follows the android as it journeys through different eras in cinema's 100-year history, including the early silent film era.

For Bi, the self-taught filmmaker born in Southwest China's Guizhou province, Resurrection — his third feature film — marks his return to the big screen seven years after Long Day's Journey into Night, the 2018 suspense romance known for its 60-minute long take. Although that film grossed over 100 million yuan ($13.88 million) in presales, it ultimately flopped due to mixed reviews.

Now appearing more self-assured, Bi said his inspiration for Resurrection was straightforward. With the world undergoing significant changes in recent years, the 35-year-old director said he hopes the film — a cinematic retrospective of the past century — can offer comfort to those who truly love the art form.

"I know the film industry is going through a difficult and special phase right now. Fortunately, I still had outstanding actors and creators willing to dedicate so much time to this project, which is deeply artistic," he said.

Despite the phenomenal success of Ne Zha 2, which has continued to shatter box office records since its Spring Festival debut, the country's most recent major box office season — the May Day holiday — saw a year-on-year decline of more than 50 percent. The drop has dampened morale among domestic filmmakers and is seen as a sign of declining cinema appeal, attributed to several factors including the unprecedented rise of short videos.

In a sideline interview with Chinese media in Cannes, Bi said he wished to dedicate Resurrection to the future of Chinese cinema. He revealed plans to make some refinements to the film upon returning to China, aiming for a general release later this year.